Improvement in grain-binders



2 Sheets-Sheet 2. 1. BEHEL.

. Grain Binder. No. 41,661. Patented Few- 16, 1864;

"72771219554 5. pawn n PETERS. VIMI'M me.

UNITED STATES JAOOB'BEHEL, 0F EARLEVILLE, ILLINOIS.

l'MPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-BI NDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 41.661, dated February 16, 1864.

.To rtZZ zuhont it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB BEHEL, of Earleville, in the county of La 'Salle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Binding Grain and other Materials; and that the fol lowing is a full, clear, andexact description of my saidinvention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 represents an elevation of a binding apparatus embodying my invention Fig. 2 represents a view of the same reversed and with the cord-carrying arm in the position it occupies during the tying of the knot. Fig. 3 is a plan of the apparatus. Figs. 4 and'5 represent end views of the apparatus withthe parts thereof in different positions. Fig. 6 represents a transverse section of the rotary cord-holder. Fig. 7 represents a transverse section of the swinging gate carrying the tying-bill. Fig. 8 represents a longitudinal sect-ion of the tying-hill upon a larger scale; and Figs. 9 to 13, inclusive, represent views of the tying-bill in different positions.

The object of my invention is to bind gavels of grain or other materials into sheaves or bundles with cord bands, and to knot the ends of the hands together; and my invention is divided into parts, some of which may be used without others, according to circumstances.

The first part of my invention consists of a turning cord-holder, composed substantially of a rough -surfaced cylinder and a spring presser-plate, or their equivalents, for seizing the binding-cord by turning upon an axis.

The second part of my invention consists of the combination of a turning cord-holder with a turning belay-wheel, around a pin of which the cord is held so as to direct the strain of the cord parallel with the axis of the turning cord-holder and hold it more securely.

The third part of my invention consists in the combination of a cord-carrying arm, or its equivalent, fitted with devices to carry the band round the gavel-to be bound,with a turning cord-holder that seizes the cord by turn- 1n r Ihe fourth part of my invention consistsof a revolving tying bill or brake, composed substantially of a pair of jaws secured crosswise toa shaft, by the turning of which the cord to be tied into a knot is wound into aloop crosswise upon thejaws of the tyingbill.

The fifth part of my invention consists of the combination of arevolving tying-bill with a swinging frame, or its equivalent. to carry the tying-bill to and fro in a direction transversely to its shaft, so as to placev the tyingbill in position to act upon the cord to be tied and remove it therefrom. The sixth part of my invention consists of the combination of a revolving tying-bill with a slotted plate, through which the ends of the band to be tied are passed from the gavel,and with a removable shield to partially cover said slot and hold the cord from escaping the action of said tying-forceps while it is operating upon the ends of the band.

The seventh part of my invention consists of the combination of a revolving tying-bill and a swinging frame, or its equivalent for movin it to and fro, with a detent which holds the tying-bill in its position until a loop of cord is wound upon it and then permits the position of the tying-bill to be changed.

The eighth part of my invention consists of the combination of a reciprocating toothed rack with a pinion having an enlarged tooth, so that the ordinary teeth of the rack may be thrown into gear with the ordinary teeth of the pinion with certainty and smoothness of movement.

The ninth part of my invention consists of the combination of a swinging frame for moving the cord-tying device to and fro, with a segmental rack that is eccentric thereto, so

that the cog-teeth of the pinion of. the cordtying device are thrown in and out of gear with the teeth of said segmentrack by the swinging of the frame and segmental rack upon different centers.

The tenth part of my invention consists in the combination of a reciprocating cord-tying device with a stationary knife, in such manner that the cord forming the band is separated from the remainder by the movement of the cord-tying device, thereby dispensing withthe movement of the knife.

All parts of my invention are embodied in the binding apparatus represented in the accompanying drawings, which is of a proper form to be applied to a harvesting-machine to bind gavels of grain into sheaves. vThis appa- 2' cinch ratus is constructed to be operated by hand, but its parts may, if desired, be so connected with the running-wheel of a harvester that binding-cord around the gavel, are situated at one side of the position 0 of the gavel to be bound, andithe cord'tying mechanism issituated at the opposite side thereof. The reel of binding-cord A is supported upon a spindle and has an adjustable spring-tension apparatus, D, applied to it to prevent the cord from unwinding too freely. The cord-carrying arm is jointed at its inner end to a fixed standard, E. It consists oftwo parts, I) and b, which are connected by a rule joint, so that the two parts can folddown upon each other,as represented in Fig. 1. The checks of the joint of the fore-arm b overlap the corresponding tenon of the inner. arm I), and are constructed to bear upon the shoulders of that tenon when the arm is extended sufficiently to embrace the gavel, (as represented at Fig. 2,) so that the joint then becomes rigid and the arm operates as if made of a single piece of material. The outer end of the fore-arm is pierced with an eye, a, through which the end of the bind ing-cord from the reel A is passed after first passing through an intermediate cord-guide, a, secured to the fore-arm. The outer end of the fore-arm is also fitted-with a fixed fork, d,

which operates to apply the cord to the cordholder. The cord-carrying arm is provided with a handle,f, by means of which it can be extended and pressed down upon the gavel, so as to occupy the position in which it is shown in Fig. 2, or can be folded back, as

shown in Fig. 1, to extend the binding-cord for encircling a new gavel.

The end of the cord used in binding is held by a turning cord-holder, consisting in this instance of a turning cylinder, F,and springshoe' G. The surface of the cylinder has a seriesof ribs formed upon it whose edges are roughened, and the shoe G has a series of grooves formed in its'face to fit the ribs of the cylinder. end of a lever, 9, whose lower end is acted upon by an adjustable spring, It, so that the pressure of this spring causes the shoe to bear against the surface of the cylinder. The cylinder has a ratchet-wheel, e, secured to it, whose teeth are acted upon by a spring-pawl, 'i, so that the cylinder can turn in one direction only. This cylinder is supported upon its arbor in such a position with reference to the track of the cord-carrying arm B, that when the latter is in the position it occupies during the tying of the band, (as at Fig. 2,) its perforated end d and its fork d embrace the-- cylinder between them; hence, if the end of the cord leading from the cord-carrying arm be made fast by inserting it between the cylinder and its shoe before the gavelof grain is in place, the subsequent drawing of the said arm over the gavel and the depression of The shoe G is pivoted to the upper' .its outer end cause the cord then surround= ing the gave] to extend from it through the fork d across the space between the fork and perforated end d of the arm, as shown in Fig. 2, and the continued depression of the arm bears the extended cord upon the curved side ofthe cylinder (whose center is at one side of the track of the cord) and causes it to enter between the ribbed barrel and the spring-shoe, the cylinder being turned by the pressure ofthe cord as the cord is depressed upon it, thereby seizing the cord by turning. When the cord is thus seized the cylinder is prevented from turning back to release the cord by its pawl and ratchet-wheel, I

and in order that the strain upon the cord may be crosswise to the ribs of the cylinder, which will then afford the greatest resistance to its withdrawal, the cylinder is combined with a belay-whedl, Z, having a series of pins proj ecting from its rim. These belay-pins are so arranged that one of them is always across the track of the cord pressed downward by" thecord-carrying arm, so that the pressure of said cord upon that pin aids in tnrning the rough-surfaced cylinder F, whereby the next succeeding belay-pin of the series is caused to project over the cord after it is seized by the' cord-holder, so that when the cord-carrying arm is pushed back again to its position, as i n Fig. l, the cord seized by the cord'hoder is bent around the belay-pin, which holds it down sotbat it. must draw out from thecord-holder' crosswise to the ribs thereof, it it draw out at all.

The cord-holder and the devices for tying the knot are separated from the gavel by .a plate, J, which has a slot, I, in it, through which the ends of the band pass to the cordholder, and the lower end of this slot is above the lowest position of the crotch of the fork (I, so that the extremities of the portion of the cord surrounding the gavel extend across the space between the end of the slot and the crotchlof the fork d in a convenient position for the tying-bill to act upon them. Inorder to make the space for the entrance of this tying'bill between the extended ends of the band and the slotted plate wider, a fender, a, is provided, across which the ends of the band are bent, as shown at Fig. 7.

The tyingbill K consists of a fixed barbed jaw, m, and of a springjaw or cap, 8, secured crosswiseto one end of a shaft, t, whose opposite end is fitted with a pinion, P, by means of which the tying-bill is turned. The springjaw s is pivoted to the fixed jaw m, and is provided with a spring, j, whose tendency is to keep the jaws closed. The spring-j aw is hollowed out on its inner side and is arranged to slightly overlap the end of the fixed jaw,so

that when the closed tying-bill is pushed forportions 7* of the cord, which are prevented the framein one direction the tying-bill can be moved into a position to act upon the cord, (as Shown in Fig. 5,) and by swinging the frame in the oppositedirection the tying-bill can be removed from that position. A detent-spring, p, is provided ofsuificient strength to hold the tyingbill in a proper position for its point to enter between the cord and the slotted plate J. Thisspring, however,yie'lds when the tying-bill is turned by its pinion.

The position of the tying-bill with reference to the line of the cord extending from the end of the slot I to the fender nis such that when the tying-bill is moved forward (in the direction of the arrow to) the inclined surface of its cap 3, bearing against that cord, bends it out of a straight line, so that when the continued movement of the tying-bill has carried the pivot of its cap past the cord, the pressure of thelatter causes thejaws to open, as represented at Fig. 10; then the turning of the tying-bill in the direction of the arrow 0, Fig. 9, causes it to twist the cord in a loop upon it, as shown at Fig. ll, and the open jaws are brought into the proper position to receive the portions 1" of the cord (extending to the cord-holder) between them. A further turning of the tying-bill causes its open jaws to pass on opposite sides of these portions 1' of the cord, so that when the tying-bill is crosswise to the cord-carrying arm the parts of the cord are in the positions shown in Fig. 12, the portions 1" being behind the barb ot the fixed jaw. A still further turning of the tyingbill in the same direction restores it to the position it occupied (Figs. 9 and 10) when first pressed against the cord, and then the tying-bill is pul led back to withdraw itfrom the loop of cord and complete the knot. As the tyingbill withdraws, the jaws of the tyingbill are closed by the passageof the loops across the pivot toward the point of the tyingbill. In this passage the loop passes over thefrom moving out of the tying-bill by the barb z, and asthe loop slips forward the strain causes the loop to tighten, (the portions r being still held by the cord-holder.). The continuedhackward movement of the cord-tying bill by Swinging its frame draws the portions r of the band across the edge of a stationary knife, or, which severs them, thereby permitting their ends nearest the knot to render through the tying-bill and escape as the loop passes over the ends of the jaws and tightens in a strong knot upon said portions.

In order to turn the tying-hill and to move it to and fro, a swinging sector, M, is provided. This sector has a rack, N, formed upon it, of sufficient length to turn the pinion P of the tyingbill a complete revolution. -It has also two lugs, R and it, one of which is in a proper position to bear against the hinder side ofthe swinging tying-bill frame and push it forward, (inthe direction of the arrow 10,) and the other is in a proper position to bear against the front side of the swinging frame and push it backward after the rack has turned the tying-bill. The sector is provided with a handle, S, by means of which it can be moved to and fro. The center y,up0u which the sector M swings, is higher and nearer the track of the cord-carrying arm than the hinge-pin of the swinging frame L, so that the segmentrack is eccentric to the swinging frame. Hence, when the sector and frame swing forward together, the pinion P gradually approaches the rack, and when the tying-bill reaches its most forward position the pinionteeth are in proper positions to be turned by the racloteeth, as shown in Fig. 5. \Vhen, on the other hand, the swinging frame and sector are moved back again, the pinion P separates from the rack until the teeth of the rack can swing freely over the pinion without imparting motion to them, as shown at Fig. 4. The

pinion is provided with one tooth, o, of much greater projection than the remainder, and this tooth stands in such aposition with refer ence to the rack that when the pinion is nearest the rack. as shown at, Fig. 5, this tooth extends across the end of to be in a position to be acted end when the rack is moved in an opposite direction to the arrow to; and as this tooth has a great projection and affords a much larger surface than the remaining small teeth, the pinion is turned at first by the end of the rack, which is rounded for that purpose, so as to bring the ordinary teeth of the pinion easily into gear with those of the rack In order that the rack ma the pinion-shalt must be 1 backward. This is effected by a detent, T, which is pivoted to the swinging frame. This detent has the form of a lever, itshinder arm having a shoulder to engage upon the end ofa stationary segment, U, and its forward arm at extending in the truck of the end of the lug t of the swinging sectorMr The hinder arm of the detent is pressed downward by a spring,

upon by that y turn the pinion, ield from moving Z,- hence. when the swinging frame L is moved forward to place the tying-bill in position for acting on the binding-cord, the shoulder of the detent, engaging upon the end of the segment U, as shown at Fig. 5, prevents the backward movement of the'pinion-shaft until the rack N has turned the pinion an entire revolution, at which time the lug R of the rack, bearing upon the forward arm of the detent, depresses it, raises the shoulder of the hinder arm from the segment U, thus releasing the swinging frame L, and permits the swinging frame and its appurtenances to be swung backward, thereby withdrawing the tying-bill from the loop of cord, cutting the cord upon the knife 00, and drawing the knot tight, as before described.

After the knot is tied th B is pushed back to the position it occupies in Fig. 1, and as the binding-cord is out between the sheaf and the cord-holder F, the end of the cord leading through theeye a of the cord-carrying arm i e cordcarrying arm s held fast in the cordthe rack, so as tween the sheaf and the cord-holder the small piece of cord which the cord-holder first seized upon is left in it, and is worked out'beneath as the cord-holder turns.

In order that the portions of the cord extending through the slot I may not rise therein when the tying-bill begins to act, and thus escape its action, a segmental shield-plate, 'W, is secured to the swinging frame L, which moves the tying-bill in such position that when the tyingbill is moved forward this shield passes over the slot I above the cord, thus preventing thelatter from rising. When the knot is completed the backward movement of the tying-bill and its swinging frame removes this shield and leaves the slot I free to be traversed by the cord for the succeeding band.

The gavel to be bound may be placed in position over the extended cord either by hand, by a fork or rake operated by hand, or by automatic mechanism. The invention is not confined to the precise construction of the parts represented and described, as these may be varied as circumstances require, or as manufacturers of machines may deem expedient, without departing from myinvention, so long as the modes of operation of the combinations as entireties be retained. Parts of my invention may also be used without others; as, for example, the cordtying mechanism may be used in connection with other means than those I have described for encircling the gavel with cord, .and these means may be used with different band-securing devices. The invention is not limited to the binding of grain, but may be used for binding other materials to which it is applicable.

I do not claim to be the first who encircled gravels with binding-cord, nor to be the first who tied the ends of the band into a knot; but

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A turning cord-holder, constructed substantially as herein set forth, so as to seize the binding-cord by turning on an axis.

2. The combination ofa turning cord-holder with a turning belay-wheel, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a cord-carrying arm and its appurtenances with a turning cordholder, substantially as set forth.

4. The revolving tying-bill, composed, substantially as herein set forth, of jaws secured crosswise to a shaft, so that the cord to be tied is wound into a loop crosswise to the jaws.

5. The combination of a revolving tyingbill with mechanism to carry it to and fro in directions crosswise to its shaft, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a revolving tying-bill with a slotted plate and a movable shield, the

yfvhole operating substantially as herein set illlih.

7. The combination of a revolving tyingbill and the mechanism for moving it to and fro crosswise to its shaft with a detent, the whole operating substantially as set forth.

8. The combination of a reciprocating toothed rack with a pinion having an enlarged'tooth, the two operating substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

9. The combination of a swinging frame for moving the cord-tying bill to and fro with a segmental rack that is eccentric thereto, the whole operating substantially as herein set forth.

10. The combination of a reciprocating cordtying device with a stationary knife in such manner that the cord is cut by being drawn across the edge of the knife by the movement of the cord-tying device, substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JACOB BEHEL.

W'ituesses: E. G. RrcKER,

I J. G. MANLovE. 

